Tag Archives: Lyft

On Apr. 3, 2017 NPR’s Yuki Noguchi wrote “Self-Driving Cars Raise Questions About Who Carries Insurance” Every auto insurance company will be affected by self driving cars. “Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, whose company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns the insurance giant Geico, told CNBC in a February interview: “If the day comes when a significant portion of the cars on the road are autonomous, it will hurt Geico’s business very significantly.”

If current inequality trends continue, most people will be too poor to own a car. If they need transportation they will use Uber or Lyft. They might use a traditional taxicab or car rental company that has survived the transition. Car manufacturers might even offer their cars directly. In any case, consumers will not be paying directly for insurance. If a car has an accident it will not be the passenger’s fault.

Associated Press reports General Motors will invest 500 million dollars in Lyft to develop self driving cars on demand. Based on experience, I’m not so sure. When Lyft customers schedule a GM car, they should order a tow truck with a big pink mustache too.

On Jul. 6, 2015 The New Yorker’s James Surowiecki wrote “Gigs With Benefits” about Sharing companies like Uber, Lyft, Postdates, TaskRabbit and Instacart. Called the gig economy, people scramble to get work but are not employees. The California Labor Commission has ruled that in at least one instance those people are indeed employees. Microsoft, Federal Express and many other corporations have tried to classify employees as contractors. Courts and government agencies like the IRS disagree. The social safety net needs to be expanded and strengthened as more people lose stable employment.

Lizzie Widdecombe wrote “The Higher Life” about the mindfulness meditation fad and how people misuse or try to appropriate Buddhism for their own personal gain.